Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, traveled to Venezuela to visit an emergency field hospital operated by his organization, where doctors and nurses are performing life-saving surgeries and offering spiritual support to survivors of the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. Accompanied by his daughter, Cissie Graham Lynch, who serves as senior advisor and spokesperson for both organizations, Graham encouraged relief teams and comforted people who lost loved ones, homes, and nearly everything they owned in the disaster.
Two earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela just 37 seconds apart, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, causing widespread destruction. Venezuelan authorities reported that more than 5,000 people were killed and over 16,000 injured. The coastal area of La Guaira was among the hardest-hit regions, where the Samaritan's Purse field hospital is now operating. The facility includes two operating rooms, a pharmacy, and a laboratory, and medical teams have treated more than 2,500 patients since it opened.
Lynch described the emotional impact of the visit, particularly an encounter with a local pastor who lost several members of his congregation in the earthquakes but continues to serve his community. «I was deeply impacted by the story of a pastor who lost several members of his congregation in the earthquakes and is still serving his community,» Lynch told Fox News Digital. «He said it all when he told us, 'I am here to serve and win souls for Christ.' I thank God for that faithful pastor and for the opportunity that we have to encourage and support him as he shares the hope of Jesus Christ in Venezuela.»
Graham emphasized the dual mission of providing both medical care and spiritual comfort. «These people are surrounded by so much death and destruction. We want to bring the light of Jesus Christ into these places of pain,» Graham said. «I'm thankful for our incredible teams who are doing just that. They are providing medical care, clean water, tents for shelter, and many other emergency supplies. As they do this in Jesus' Name, they are comforting these families and praying with them during this time of intense grief and loss.»
More than 170 Samaritan's Purse Disaster Assistance Response Team members are serving in some of the hardest-hit areas, including La Guaira, Playa Grande, and Caraballeda, while aid is also being delivered through church partners in Caracas. Six Boeing 767 airlifts have carried 295 tons of relief supplies into the country, and the organization said its aircraft were the first non-military flights to arrive in Venezuela following the earthquakes. More than 10,200 families have received emergency supplies, including tents, tarps, solar lights, blankets, hygiene kits, cooking sets, and Spanish Bibles.
The organization has also installed four emergency clinic modules for local healthcare facilities, with a fifth expected to open soon. These clinics are stocked with medical supplies and generators to help restore healthcare in communities devastated by the earthquakes. Two desalination units have produced more than 154,000 liters of clean water for affected populations.
Nearly every patient treated at the field hospital has lost a family member or close friend, according to Samaritan's Purse. Among them was a father who injured his leg while rescuing another person's child from a collapsed 14-story building. «It was terrifying,» he said. «I thought a plane had crashed.» Another survivor was buried beneath the rubble after his apartment building collapsed, falling six floors and remaining trapped for two days without food, water, or light before rescuers spent six hours pulling him to safety. «I lose everything, I don't have anything,» he said. «A nurse here made me paper shoes, I feel so happy for that.» For this survivor, the compassion and prayer he received proved just as meaningful as the medical care. «The doctors pray with me,» he said. «That's beautiful when they get on their knees and pray with me. I love that. Nobody do that for me.»
